This story by Ray Couture first appeared in the Valley News on Oct. 13.
NORWICH — After a four-month search, Norwich has a new police chief, one with experience serving as a police officer in Vermont.
Town Manager Rod Francis announced in a news release published by the town Wednesday night that Wade Cochran, currently a detective sergeant with the Montpelier Police Department, will be Norwich’s new chief. He is set to start Oct. 25.
Cochran, who grew up in Walden, Vt., has held positions in Vermont police departments since the onset of his career, having been a dispatcher with the Vermont State Police and an officer in both Barre City and Hardwick before joining the Montpelier police force in 2006.
While in Montpelier, the release noted, Cochran worked with the Vermont Drug Task Force for five years as well as the FBI Task Force. Francis said Cochran’s experience with those agencies enabled him to build “really good” connections with local and state law enforcement agencies.
Francis cited those connections, as well as Cochran being a “veteran” of the Vermont police system, as key factors in his hire. Important too, Francis said, was Cochran already being licensed as a police officer in Vermont, which enables him to start the role immediately, whereas out-of-state applicants would have to go through a certification process.
“Cochran was able to step into the role and work as an active police officer immediately, whereas the other finalist was not likely to be able to do that,” Francis said. “And given the vagaries of the Vermont accreditation process, we wouldn’t have had any certainty about how many months that would take.”
Cochran did not respond to a voice message left on his work phone by deadline on Thursday.
In the town’s news release, Cochran said he enjoys the community of small, rural towns.
I spend my free time outdoors with my 14-year-old daughter (…) and my dog Zeus,” he said in the release. “I look forward to working hard for the town of Norwich and its community and rebuilding the police force.”
Francis said Cochran, as chief, will make between $90,000 and $95,000 annually.
Francis said there was one out-of-state finalist who would have been “ideal in many ways,” but ultimately, Cochran’s understanding of Vermont’s police system and the ability to work immediately won him the job.
Francis, whose role as town manager tasks him with hiring new town employees, said he did preliminary interviews with about 10 out-of-state candidates and a few in-state candidates before landing on the two finalists.
As part of the final interview process, Francis — along with Colchester Police Department Chief Doug Allen and a retired police chief who works with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, of which Norwich is a member — asked Cochran and his fellow finalist how they’d approach providing police services in Norwich that fit the community’s needs.
In his role as detective sergeant in Montpelier, Cochran had about seven people reporting to him directly, Francis said. Norwich’s department, at full strength, is about half that. Currently, Anna Ingraham is the town’s only police officer and has held the role of “officer-in-charge” since Cochran’s predecessor, Simon Keeling, resigned from the position in June.
“He has a strong understanding of the human resources and training needs and shift organization issues associated with managing a department,” Francis said.
Francis called hiring officers “mission critical” and something Cochran knows has to be his first priority. Francis noted that Cochran has recruitment strategies in mind, but declined to share details.
According to Ingraham’s monthly report for September, the department still needs a new sergeant, patrol officer and community safety officer. In her report, Ingraham said she responded to 107 calls for service during the month and made four arrests. The department received 48 calls when there was no officer on duty, 27 of which were forwarded to the Vermont State Police, who responded to nine of them.
Ingraham also said the department saw an increase in motor vehicle crashes during September, several of which resulted in significant property damage — and many were not investigated because there was no officer on duty.
The concept of community policing was an important part of the interview phase, Francis said, as he questioned applicants on their understanding of it and whether they thought they could implement “contemporary” policing practices in Norwich. Francis cited Cochran’s experience as a police officer in Montpelier as reflective of the same issues and concerns other communities around the state share.
“Many of the issues that are present in Montpelier are in Norwich,” Francis said. “I think that’s informed Chief Cochran’s practice as a police officer, and I’m hoping that he can engage the community effectively and what kind of policing the community is looking for.”
